Prince Harry's quiet charm goes down a treat in Alberta

15 SEPTEMBER 2008Showing no hint of his royal background, the Queen's grandson, who celebrates his 24th birthday in the Alberta town of Medicine Hat on Monday, dropped in to a local bar to shoot pool over the weekend.

"He's a great kid, really down-to-earth. Talking to him was just like talking to one of your buddies," said Ralph Steiert, the owner of Ralph's Texas Bar and Steak House, which hosted the Prince and scores of his army colleagues during their four-hour outing.

The low-key evening was in contrast to Harry's visit to the country with his squadron last year, which ended up splashed across the media after a high-spirited night out in Calgary.

This tour, the third-in-line to the British throne has some very serious business to attend to. According to a report in The Sun, Harry is commanding a unit involved in training soldiers due for deployment against the Taliban. The Household Cavalry officer, who spent ten weeks in Afghanistan earlier this year, will lead a team of 12 men playing the role of the enemy in mock ambushes.